Web the key to integration

Late last year, Westpac acquired the Bank of Melbourne and in September this year the two banks plan to integrate aspects of their reporting systems.

However, the banks have different approaches to customer accounts. The Bank of Melbourne has integrated its savings account with its card facilities, which allows customers to have either a credit card or debit card linked to their savings account.

Westpac, however, has separate divisions for savings accounts and card facilities and respective call centres for each.

So when Bank of Melbourne customers make enquiries at the Westpac credit card call centre, those operators will now need access to their savings account transaction records.

In an effort to ensure that inquiries from exisiting Bank of Melbourne debit card holders do not require a hand off, Westpac's Cards centre will be given access to the customer data via the intranet. Westpac's existing card products are available online through an existing credit card system which presently does not interface to the newer COLD solution.

Westpac was required to purchase a different type of licence from FileNet to run the intranet. One licence per intranet server will allow for 90 concurrent users. Access is expected to be on an ad hoc basis.

"In this case the intranet will help provide customer service continuity," Mr Roditis said.

In the future, Mr Roditis sees Westpac widening the intranet to allow customer access via telephone banking as well as using the Internet to allow customer access through online banking facilities.